Romance All A Girl Wants
by jennyelf
Summary: Ginny decides to show Harry that all she wants is a little R.O.M.A.N.C.E. Does she know her boyfriend as well as she thinks she does? Written for the SIYE Seven Word Challenge.
1. Prologue

A/N: Here's a teaser to start my next story. I've almost got it completely written. I'm hoping to post a chapter a day. I should be able to as four are complete already. :) Many thanks to Jonelle, my beta and all of my friends on LJ who have commented to help make this better!

Prologue

December 1, 1999

Harry stared at the ring he held between his forefinger and his thumb, rolling it back and forth, watching the diamond reflect the light from the fire in the sconce on the wall. _Is this a ring that Ginny would even want? _He scoffed at himself._ Don't you really mean would Ginny even want you, much less the ring?_ _It's only been a little over a year since the two of you even got back together. _He sighed, knowing that his internal debate would continue until the moment he summoned enough courage to actually ask Ginny the most important question he would ever ask anyone. Standing up from his kneeling position in front of his parents' trunk in his vault in Gringotts, he pocketed the ring after placing it back in the box in which it had been stored. After exiting the vault, he made his way back through Diagon Alley, going straight to his office at the Ministry. He set wards preventing anyone from opening his desk drawer who wasn't a blood relative of his after placing the ring box in it. Sighing again, he started to work his way through the paperwork on his desk. _An Auror's work is never done._


	2. The Plan

A/N: Here's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy. :) Thanks as always to Jonelle, my fabulous beta and all those who have read and commented to make this better.

Chapter One- The Plan

December 4, 1999

Ginny Weasley sat with her back leaning against two pillows propped on the headboard to the bed in her hotel room. Looking at the clock, she wondered if her teammate was going to make it back in time for curfew.

After the win they had over the Wigtown Wanderers, she was not surprised that Marisa wasn't back from celebrating at the pub where the team had congregated after showering and changing at the pitch. While Ginny wanted to celebrate the win as much as the rest of her team, she had begged off after one drink at the pub, claiming that she was exhausted. While she was tired, she had really wanted to finish her latest Venus Lovelace novel. Now she had only a few pages left to read. Turning the page, her eyes skimmed over the lines, imagining herself as the heroine who was being swept off her feet with Harry cast as the romantic hero, of course. _If only Harry was this romantic!_ Her eyes drifted closed with the book still open on her lap.

_Ginny walked into her flat, tossing her wand on the table beside her. She stretched her arms high above her head before releasing and letting out a huge yawn. When a blindfold was tied over her eyes, she started elbowing and kicking behind her. But a whisper stopped her struggles. _

"_You're fine, Gin. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe."_

_She knew that voice. The man she loved had a voice that melted her very core. Standing perfectly still, she whispered, "What are you doing? Why is there a blindfold on me?"_

"_You can't see everything yet, my love. Just a moment, I promise." _

_Ginny could hear things rushing by her head, but she wasn't sure what exactly was going on. She searched through her mental calendar trying to figure out if she forgot a birthday or anything, but nothing came to mind. _What was Harry doing?,_ she thought. _

_After a few minutes, she was led across her living room into her small breakfast nook area. Her eyes were released from their dark prison and took a few moments to adjust to the candlelight that filled the room. Looking around, she saw candles in the window and on the table. Her counters were covered with daisies and pink roses. The table was laid with a fine bone china, on which her favourite meal was already served. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw Harry on one knee in front of her, holding a ring._

Jerking awake, Ginny sat straight up before running a hand through her hair. When Marisa came out of the bathroom, she looked startled to see Ginny awake.

"I'm sorry. I must have woken you up when I came in. I tried to be as quiet as I could. Sorry." Marisa worried at her lip.

"It's okay, 'Risa. I would have gotten a crick in my neck from sleeping that way anyway. So my body thanks you," Ginny said, smiling at her travelling roommate.

As her roommate continued her bedtime ritual, Ginny slid down under the covers to contemplate her latest dream. Here lately she had been having dreams of a more romantic Harry. Not that she would change anything about her Harry, well, that wasn't exactly true. She loved Harry with all her heart and knew that he loved her, but he didn't show it very well. She firmly believed that it was all his aunt's fault that he didn't know how to romance the girl he was in love with. Ginny wished she could just give him a stack of her romance novels and say 'Read and take notes.' But she couldn't do that to her Auror boyfriend. Instead she would just grin and bear it, like Dean used to always say.

_Now what do you suppose would happen if I tried this?, _she thought, looking down at the book still resting in her hands. The book was the typical boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy screws up, boy does everything he can to get her back and of course succeeds romance novel. Yet, in this particular book, the way he gets her back is by using different words to show her how much she means to him.

_What if I used some words to show Harry exactly what I want him to be more like or rather what he could do to show his love more? But would he go for it? Probably not. Unless… _she nodded._ I asked him for this to be his Christmas present to me. That's all he would have to give me is to let me show him how much I love him using… how many words should I use? _

_Wait, I got a better idea. The first letter of the words will spell out what I want most from Harry--Romance. Seven letters for seven days. I can start on Christmas Eve since that's when Harry and I traditionally exchange gifts. Let's see. Romance- I need words that start with R__-O-M-A-N-C-E. C is easy- cherish. N,_ she grinned. _Naughty, definitely. R must be, _she thought about it for a moment or two._ Receptive. That's it. Engaging for E will work. A can be affectionate. He could definitely be more affectionate. _

_M and O. O. What starts with O? Obnoxious? Absolutely not. Officious? Sounds too much like Percy. Original? That works. Uh oh- M. Masculine? No, he's masculine enough, Mr. I'm__-an-Auror. Magical? Well, duh, he's already that. Money? Another absolutely not. I don't care about his money. Mine? _She smirked. _Well, he is that. But really what I want most is more memories with him. That's it! Memorable. _

_Let's ma__ke sure I remember all my words: Receptive, Original, Memorable, Affectionate, Naughty, Cherish and Engaging. Yep, that's it. _Her heart leapt at the idea of how much fun she and Harry could have with this idea. A smile wouldn't leave her face. Giving herself a little nod for a job well planned, she allowed herself to relax and slide off into sleep, knowing that she would be able to finish her plans between now and Christmas Eve.


	3. Receptive and Original

A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy. :) Thanks as always to my beta, Jonelle and the group of friends on LJ who comment and help me make this better.

Chapter Two--Receptive and Original

December 24, 1999- Receptive

Ginny Weasley flopped back onto her freshly made bed, staring at the ceiling. Drawing a deep breath to calm the jittery feeling in her stomach, she couldn't help but wonder how the day would unfold. After much coaxing, she finally convinced her boyfriend to take the next seven days off to spend time with her. For once their schedules had had a shot of coinciding. But now she was fighting her compulsion to run into the loo to relieve herself of her stomach contents.

Running her hands through her hair, she tried to reassure herself that Harry would understand that her idea was not one meant to make him feel like she thought he was lacking or that she was trying to change him. This thought, of course, led her to think about not even bothering to tell him about her idea. It was a silly idea anyway, but she had already paid for the activity she had planned for that day. As it was Christmas Eve, it had cost a little extra.

A knock sounded through her little flat. Knowing it had to be Harry, she stood up and gave herself a once-over in the full length mirror that hung on the door to her wardrobe. Deciding that her hair looked as good as it would get in a ponytail, she exited her bedroom to travel down the hall to her door. Taking one final deep breath, she opened the door to see Harry, leaning his left arm on the door frame, smiling his traditional grin.

"Hi," she said a little breathlessly, taking his appearance in. She was delighted to see him dressed in his green Weasley jumper and white turtleneck coupled with a pair of well-fitting black jeans exactly like she asked. It made some of her jitters about how the day would go with him, be replaced with ones concerning things she wanted to do to him.

"Hi," he responded. She gestured for him to come in.

"Have you had breakfast?" she asked him, leading him into the kitchen.

"No, you said, and I quote, 'Come over for breakfast wearing warm clothes so we can spend as much time together as possible.' So here I am, ready for breakfast," he retorted, settling himself at the small table in her kitchen. They shared small things that had happened to them since they last saw each other while she prepared a full English breakfast for them.

After they ate, she waved her wand to start the clean up process. Harry just shook his head. "You don't know how I wish I could have done that growing up. Wait, how is it that you can perform magic in here and still have your electricity work?"

"Harry, you've been here how many times since I've moved in and are just now asking about that?" She chuckled before answering him. "I only use my wand very sparingly. I don't think there's enough magic done in here to affect a change."

He grinned sheepishly at her before pulling her over to the couch in her living room. "So what else are we planning to do today beside the absolutely fabulous breakfast we just had?"

Ginny's nerves resurfaced. Looking around the room, she thought about how to broach the idea to Harry. She picked at her nails before looking at Harry. "Harry, you love me, right?"

"You know I do. Now what is it? The suspense is killing me, but I guess that's better than when Voldemort did."

"That's not funny, Harry," Ginny remarked, slightly upset that he would try to make a joke about that time. Her heart still ached when she thought of his body lying in Hagrid's arms appearing lifeless. Trying to dispel the memory, she shook her head before focusing on Harry's hand that had grabbed hers. "Well, I got this idea while on my last trip with the Quidditch team." She stopped, slipped her hand from his and stood up to pace in front of the couch. Glancing over at Harry, she saw a nervous look overtake his countenance. "Harry, I love you. I want to show you exactly how much over the next seven days if you'll let me."

"But Ginny…" Harry started before pausing to scratch his neck. "I don't get a say in anything that happens for the next seven days? You have everything planned out?"

"Yep, each day has a different word attached to it and the plans for that day. Please, Harry, say you'll do this for me. This can be my Christmas present. Please?" Ginny pleaded. She could see the reluctance in his eyes warring with his love for her. She sat down beside him, running her fingers up his arm. "Please?"

He inhaled sharply before nodding to her. "I can't say no to you." The smile that spread across her face threatened to reach all the way to her ears. The blush that accompanied it made her duck her head. She looked over at the time.

"Since you've agreed, let me tell you that you're already fulfilling the word of the day, which is receptive. Thank you for being open to new ideas," Ginny said, smiling. She grabbed her boots and slid them on before grabbing his hand. She led him out of her apartment and down to the closest Tube station.

"We're using the Tube? Ginny, what have you got planned?" Harry asked her.

"Uh, uh, uh!" Ginny said, wiggling her finger under his nose. "I'm not telling. Remember the word for today is receptive!"

"It seems like the word is more for me to act out than you," Harry mumbled under his breath. Ginny didn't want to say anything in response for fear that Harry would back out, so she just grabbed his hand with one of hers. Pulling out her Travelcard with her free hand, she marvelled over the fact that she could get around London the Muggle way and the fact that it was due largely to George. After all, he had bet her that she couldn't live a Muggle part of London for a year without going running back to their parents when it got too hard. Almost six months in, she had only returned to the Burrow for family dinners.

Once they were on the platform, Harry turned to Ginny. "Please, tell me where we are going. Please?" He tried to use the puppy dog look that Ron used on Hermione, but Ginny couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Harry, I'm the youngest and the only girl. Do you honestly think a look can manipulate me? I've learned how to turn on the tears without pulling out an onion. Puppy dog looks don't work on me," Ginny replied, feeling carefree and light. Harry was with her and willing to try to her idea. Admittedly she wasn't completely honest when explaining her idea, but she wasn't lying when she said she wanted to show him just how much she loved him.

The train came rumbling into the station and the ever present voice reminded the passengers to 'Mind the gap" repeatedly. Ginny and Harry boarded the southbound train.

"Can you at least tell me what stop we're getting off at?" Harry asked plaintively.

"Paddington. It's only two stops away, so relax. We're going to do something today that I've always wanted to do," Ginny retorted. They were both quiet for the rest of the way. Ginny enjoyed the fact that Harry didn't always feel the need to fill up the silence. Leaving the station, she led the way to the stables. She felt Harry's hand go slack in hers when he saw the sign for their destination.

"Hyde Park Stables. Ginny, what are we doing here?" Harry asked with his forehead wrinkled in just the way that she loved to see.

"We are going to have a riding lesson," Ginny said before pulling on his hand.

"Do you not get enough riding with your job?" Harry questioned.

"But that's different. Please, Harry. This has been something I've dreamt about since I was a little girl. Horses have always seemed so majestic to me. I've longed to run my fingers through their manes. Then, when you taught about," here her words turned into a whisper. "The Patronus charm and I discovered mine was a horse, it just increased my longing. Please, say you'll do this with me."

"It can't be that much different than riding a thestral, right?" Harry responded.

"Thank you. Oh, thank you," Ginny said, throwing her arms around his neck. They went into the stables and were fitted with helmets and riding boots for their lesson. Ginny had arranged for them to have a private lesson in the arena.

For the next hour, she couldn't help but smile. Watching Harry tentatively mount his horse after she had finally been allowed to mount hers made her realize just how special Harry was to her. He made certain to smile at her every time she trotted past him while he was still making sure he understood the motions of the walk. The fact that he was willing to try something new to him simply to make her happy made her question whether or not she really needed to go through with this plan of hers. Still, if the next six days could provide experiences like the feeling she had when trotting around the ring on the back of a horse, then she wouldn't change a thing.

December 25, 1999- Original

The early morning rays of sunlight danced across her face causing her to wake disoriented. Her flat didn't face east so she knew she must not be there. It was then she remembered exactly where she was—home. Her heart seeped down to her toes as she recalled what had led her to come to the Burrow in tears last night. It wasn't that she couldn't handle living in a Muggle area, but the fact that she and Harry had a disagreement.

The lesson had gone well. Harry had told her that he really enjoyed it since it was another way to feel like you were flying, but with less chance of injury. But he did say that he preferred to ride his motorbike as he could be in complete control of it. After they were finished with the lesson, they had strolled hand-in-hand around Hyde Park. Of course, Harry had to explain what the statues in the park were of and their relevance to her, but Ginny had just relished their closeness.

It was on their walk back to her flat that it had happened. A communication Patronus arrived in front of Harry, demanding that he report to the Ministry for a mission. She slipped into the memory of what exactly had happened.

_Ginny pulled her hand away from Harry when the communication Patronus arrived. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around herself. Once the Patronus dissipated, she looked up to see Harry with a look of regret on his face._

"_I'm sorry," he said. She knew that he was telling her the truth, but it still didn't explain why they called him in. She had thought that he was on vacation for the week and she told him that._

"_Gin, it's extremely difficult to get time off right now, so I was put on call," Harry explained, dragging a hand through his hair, knocking his glasses slightly askew. _

"_Was it really that hard getting time off work?" Ginny asked in a small voice._

"_Well, this time of year isn't the easiest, especially since I'm one of the few in the department with no family to go visit for the holidays," Harry responded. _

_Ginny's heart shattered when Harry uttered the words 'no family'._ Does he really think so little of me and my family?, _she thought_. _She turned her back to him before responding, "You know, I always thought you had a family—mine."_

"_That's not what I meant, Ginny," Harry said adamantly. _

"_But that's what you said, Harry," Ginny whispered almost so low that Harry couldn't hear it. It was then that a second communication Patronus arrived. As usual, Ginny couldn't hear it, but knew it meant that Harry had to leave before they even got the chance to exchange gifts. _

"_Ginny, I…" Harry started before Ginny interrupted him._

"_Go, Harry. I know you have to. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow at the Burrow," Ginny said, resigned to spending the rest of the night alone. She watched him look for the nearest alleyway or cover for him to Apparate from, before turning back to trudge toward her flat. All the uplifting emotions that she had felt during the lesson and the walk after scattered like leaves in the wind, blown away by the fact that her boyfriend had to leave her on Christmas Eve._

Tears welled in her eyes, remembering how she thought that maybe her idea wasn't such a good one now that she didn't even know if they would be able to follow it. Who knew how long Harry's mission might last?

A hand pounded on her door before footsteps could be heard stomping down the stairs. She knew it was either Ron or George who pounded. Actually it must have been George as Ron would have being screaming "Presents!". As if cued, Ron's voice floated up the stairs.

"Ginevra! Get down here. Presents!"

Wiping at her eyes, she tugged a dressing gown on over her pyjama trousers and cami top before running a brush through her hair once. Hearing her brother call once more, she called back. "Hold your horses! I'm coming!"

"You're the only one who can hold a horse around here, Gin!" George retorted as she came stumbling down the stairs. She looked to find George only to see the most wonderful sight—Harry! In her shock, she missed the last step and started to fall. Harry raced to catch her.

"You're lucky I wasn't that far away. It's not like I'm on my broomstick," Harry said with a smirk on his face.

"Thank you," she whispered, almost scared to speak for fear this was a dream.

"You're welcome," he responded. She took in his appearance. His eyes were shadowed with fatigue and his hair was rumpled like he had run his fingers through it one too many times in frustration. His clothes were almost a replica of what he wore yesterday, except it was a different Weasley jumper and blue jeans this time.

"You didn't tell me what to wear for today," he whispered to her, his arms still encircling her holding her close.

"Well, we really didn't get to chat about today yesterday anyway, but what you're wearing is fine. I didn't have too much planned for today anyway. Besides I didn't know if you would be able to be here."

"Hey, you two lovebirds. How about joining us so we can finally open these presents?" George complained.

Harry turned her in his arms so that she could walk with his arms still wrapped around her from behind. She started to say that she could walk on her own, but Harry leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I want to make sure that you're safe. No more stumbling for you, Miss Weasley." With that, he pulled her down with him onto the floor beside the couch. As usual, Ron was so excited that he played Father Christmas handing out the gifts to everyone. Before Ginny or Harry opened any of theirs, Ginny leaned over to Harry.

"Just so you know, the word for today is original," Ginny stated with a grin. Harry raised an eyebrow at that before attacking his pile of presents. When he came upon Ginny's gift, she noticed that he set it to the side to open later.

Ginny then attacked her own stack. She made sure to thank everyone for each gift. She was especially thankful for the new Chaser gloves that Bill and Fleur had gotten her as her current ones were worn out from the two and a half seasons that she had used them. Having saved Harry's for last, she lifted the package wrapped in green paper that matched Harry's eyes. Feeling the weight of it, she despaired that he had bought her something so unromantic as a Quidditch book. Of course, she wasn't expecting jewellery or anything, but really she wasn't Hermione. She gently pulled off one corner, trying to prolong this as much as possible while she tried to drum up enthusiasm for a book. Yet, when the paper was finally pulled from the cover of the book, she noticed that there was no title. Puzzled, she opened the cover to see an inscription.

_For my love, my Gin. I hope to add many more to this. Harry_

Flipping over the next page, she saw a picture of herself at the age of ten running alongside the train on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. "But how? You didn't have a camera on the train, did you?" Ginny asked Harry, whom she now noticed was watching her rather intently.

"No, I didn't. I found this interesting little shop in Diagon Alley that specialises in taking memories from a Pensieve and turning them into pictures. So this book has the pictures of my best memories of you," Harry explained. Looking on the page adjacent to the picture, she read the vignette that Harry wrote for her about what that memory meant to him. Turning each page led to another memory and discovery about what each one meant to Harry. She had thought she had needed to teach him how to show her romance. This book was the epitome of romance.

"Oh, Harry…" Ginny murmured when she came across the picture of her running toward Harry across the common room. Seeing their first kiss from his perspective was astonishing. She couldn't understand what he had seen in her that day. Her hair had been falling out of her hastily tied up ponytail. At least her school uniform had been clean, but still it was her uniform.

Reading what he had written about that kiss, what he had been thinking and what it meant to him was giving her insights to him that she had never had before. She wondered if he had ever opened up to anyone this much. Considering how very original his gift was, especially in comparison with hers, made her cheeks burn. Today he was portraying the word infinitely better than she was.

Hearing paper crinkle, she turned her head to see Harry removing the paper from her gift. She closed her eyes, wishing, hoping that her gift would somehow become so much more spectacular than it actually was. Ginny had taken Harry's picture of his parents at their wedding and had the picture enlarged without Harry's knowledge. She had been very devious about slipping into Harry's flat and retrieving and returning the picture. Not hearing anything from Harry, she lifted her eyes to see wonderment on his face.

"How? How did you know I wanted to do this? I wanted this very picture to put up in my flat. I just hadn't had time to go get it done yet," Harry murmured. Ginny could feel herself start to glow. _He did like it. Whew! _Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her over to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Thank you, love."

Just then, Ginny's mum called everyone in for breakfast. Walking there, Ginny wondered how Harry had gotten to the Burrow that day. She shrugged, thinking that if they had to, they could return to Grimmauld Place to retrieve Harry's motorbike.

After breakfast, she mentioned to her mum that she was going to take Harry out for a few hours, but that they would be back before tea. Molly just patted her hand and told her to take as much time as they needed. Discovering that Harry had brought his bike with him, she ran upstairs to change so they could head over to Otterton. She and Harry spent the next three hours or so just walking along the River Otter estuary and the coast. Ginny loved being able to spend time with Harry like this, just taking in the sights. This definitely qualified as an original day in her mind.


	4. Memorable and Affectionate

A/N: There are only two more chapters after this and they are already written! Thanks to Jonelle, my beta for helping me with this and all my friends at LJ who have helped make this a better story.

Chapter Three—Memorable and Affectionate

December 26, 1999- Memorable

The next morning, Ginny gathered the boxes of food and gifts that she had collected over the past few weeks to take to the orphanage that Harry had helped the Ministry start after the war. This was something she hoped would become a tradition for them every year. Looking over the amount of boxes, she realized that it would take several trips to get it all there and she was supposed to go by Harry's first. She thought it over before deciding to go retrieve Harry to get him to help her carry everything. Smiling, she stepped to the Floo and after grabbing the Floo powder, called "Grimmauld Place."

She stepped into the kitchen and was in awe once again over the changes that had been wrought since her first glimpse of it. Light streamed in, making it look much brighter than in years past. Kreacher scurried over to her.

"Would Mistress like tea?" Kreacher asked.

"Oh, thank you, Kreacher, but no. I've already had my breakfast this morning and Harry and I really need to get going. Thank you, though," Ginny responded. Kreacher just bowed to her before continuing with his cleaning of the kitchen.

"Kreacher! Have you seen my other shoe?" Harry called. Kreacher disappeared with a crack. Ginny just giggled at the thought of Harry not being able to find anything in his room. Not that she had seen his room here yet, but she just remembered the state of Ron's room during Harry's visits.

After a few moments of Ginny reliving moments in this kitchen, she turned to see Harry wearing yet another Weasley jumper with jeans.

"Goodness, Harry, is that all you own? Weasley jumpers and jeans? I'm sure that's not what you wear to work," Ginny said with a chuckle.

"But I'm not going to work now, am I?" he retorted. "So what's the word for today? Should I try to guess?"

"Sure. I'd be willing to bet that you couldn't possibly come up with the word," Ginny said cheekily, grinning at him.

"Oh, betting me, eh? Name your terms." Harry's eyes sparkled at her.

"If you don't guess it in five tries, then I get to dress you for our day on Tuesday and you have to do whatever I say, no question. Well, you can ask questions, but I might not give you the right answers. But if you manage to guess it, then you get to plan our last day together and I'll completely scrap my plans," Ginny replied.

"You're on. How long do I have to try and guess?" Harry questioned. Ginny shrugged.

"Why not make your guesses now? Go ahead and get it over with. That way I can start thinking about what all we'll do on Tuesday," Ginny rejoined with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"All right. First guess is caring," Harry stated confidently.

"Um. Four more guesses." Ginny shook her head while biting her lip, trying her hardest not to laugh.

Harry thought for a moment. "Boxes."

Ginny just looked at him before bursting out in laughter. "Definitely not. Three more."

Harry gave her a pitiful look as if he needed help before sliding over to her and running his fingers up her arm. "Ginny, don't you want to give me a hint? Just one little hint?"

"No. I want to win this bet," she responded.

Harry sighed before running his hand through his hair. He snapped his fingers and said, "Family."

Her heart was in her throat at that, but she knew that now was not the time to get into that or their disagreement. She deliberately made herself keep it light-hearted. "Awww, how sweet. But no. Two more guesses," Ginny whispered, affectionately kissing his nose.

Harry went deep into thought before adding, "Magical."

"Dearest Harry, don't you know every day is that for us?" Ginny said with her tongue in her cheek. "One more guess, my love. Make it count."

"Will you tell me what it starts with at least?" Harry said, trying to use the puppy dog eyes on her. She rolled hers at him before crossing her arms over her chest, shaking her head at him.

"Don't think you can get away with that, Potter. No hints!" Ginny stood firm.

"Oh all right. One would think that if someone really, really loved them, that they would be willing to help them in whatever way possible," Harry cajoled. "But I guess that's not true in this case." He sniffed before turning away from Ginny.

"Tut, tut, resorting to guilt to get me to give you a hint so you could win? Now dry your eyes and guess. We don't have all day. We do have plans, you know," she said with a smirk worthy of a Slytherin.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"Guess, Harry."

He harrumphed before saying, "Creative."

Ginny just smiled widely as she tossed her arms around Harry's neck before giving him a peck. "Sorry, my love. Today's word is memorable, not creative. Now we need to move so we can take everything from my flat to the orphanage today."

"How much stuff do we have to take?" Harry asked.

"Well, quite a bit actually. Come on, it's best if you just see what all we need to carry." They travelled via the Floo to her flat. As usual, Harry ended up on his bottom in front of the fireplace. Ginny just giggled before gesturing towards the boxes that covered her couch and her set of chairs.

"You could have just called Kreacher, you know," Harry said, once he had stopped goggling over the amount of stuff that they were taking to the orphanage.

"But Kreacher is your house-elf, not mine. Why would he respond to me?" Ginny questioned.

"Because you're my girl, of course." Ginny wasn't sure how much she liked being called a girl, but she loved being called his. Harry ended up calling for Kreacher and getting him to ferry the packages over to the J. L. SCRAFTS Sanctuary.

"Gin," She could tell that Harry was confused about something from the tone in his voice. "You said the word for today is memorable. In what way?"

Ginny looked away from him for a moment before sliding her gaze back to him. "I was hoping to start a tradition with you of visiting the orphanage on Boxing Day and spending the day with the children. It would be memorable in the fact that it's the first time we'll have done that particular tradition."

"That's a wonderful plan, Ginny." Harry smiled at her, filling her with warmth at the knowledge that Harry was really planning to spend forever with her. "Shall we go see the children then?" he asked, offering her in his arm. Wordlessly, she took his arm, making sure to help him out of the Floo without mishap.

Ginny was totally unprepared for the reception that Harry would receive once the children discovered that he was there. A small head had peeked around the doorway at the sound of the Floo. Once the owner had determined it was Harry, a voice rang out, "Harry's here!" At this point, small feet pounded the floor in an effort to reach him first. Ginny was separated from him rather quickly, but instead of worrying about it, she backed her way to the wall to watch. The children vied for his attention, seeking hugs and reassurance. A woman Ginny knew from her occasional visits to be the floor mother made her way toward Ginny.

"Oh, the children are so excited that Mr. Potter is here. They worried that he wouldn't make it this week," the slightly older witch said.

"This week?" Ginny asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Oh, yes, hasn't Mr. Potter told you? He visits at least one day every week," she responded before going to relieve Harry of some of the children that was hanging from his neck and back. Ginny wondered how it was that she never knew that her boyfriend came here every week. While they weren't completely inseparable, they did spend quite a lot of time together. Yet, she never knew this about him. How much more would she learn about this memorable man?

December 27, 1999--Affectionate

The next morning Ginny awoke to a strange owl sitting stock still on her bedpost. She immediately looked around her room to make sure the owl was the only visitor. Living in the Muggle world, Ginny had, with Hermione's help, concocted a way for owls to get into her apartment so they wouldn't be seen. She just wanted to make sure that no one else had found that way in. Seeing no one, she called the bird to her and slipped off the note tied to its leg.

_Ginny,_

_I'm so sorry, love, but I've been called into work. I'll try to get done as quickly as I can, but I'm not sure when that will be. I'll come by once I am finished._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Ginny sighed, knowing that if she planned on being with Harry (which she did), that she would have to get used to plans being interrupted. Luckily, the plans she had made for today were very flexible as it involved nothing more than a cuddle session on her couch while watching a film.

As her plans were disrupted, Ginny spent the morning getting her chores done, knowing that she had been letting them pile up while she spent time with Harry. She even managed to slip away to Diagon Alley to pick out Harry's outfit for the next day as well as the supplies that would be needed for the rest of her plans. It wasn't long after lunch that she fell asleep on her couch, waiting to see if her boyfriend would show up for the day. As usual, her dreams featured one Harry Potter.

Ginny awoke, trying to figure out where her dream ended and reality began. A large callused hand ran its fingers through her long hair, which was no longer in the ponytail that had contained it before her nap. Turning her head to look up, she saw wide, thick lashed green eyes gazing down at her. Her head was lying on a pillow in Harry's lap.

She sat up, stretching her arms wide. "When did you get here? Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were just too cute to wake up. Besides, I like watching you sleep. It helps calm me." His hand had followed her and continued along its path through her hair with Harry watching the red strands spill through his fingers before restarting the process. "Your hair is so gorgeous, Ginny. Please don't ever cut it."

"I wouldn't," she responded. "I like it long too much. It's easier to plait that way for matches."

Silently she relished the play of Harry's fingers. If it soothed him even half as much as it did her, then she would allow him to do it whenever he wanted.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't here earlier. My work…" He allowed his voice to lapse into silence as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Harry, I don't want you to feel like you ever have to choose between your work and me. I know what you do is important in so many ways. You don't have to apologize," Ginny responded, laying her hand on his elbow.

"Gin, about what I said the other night…" Harry started before Ginny put her hand over his mouth.

"Harry, it's okay," she said very quietly. "You don't have to explain. I know you think of my family as yours."

"But—" he tried to continue. Ginny just stood and crossed to her telly. Slipping the movie into the VCR, she popped back over to the couch to cuddle up under Harry's arm.

"What are we watching?" Harry asked, giving up on trying to discuss their fight from earlier.

"Ever After. One of my teammates recommended it. Apparently it's based on a 'fairy tale' or something," Ginny replied, slightly confused about what exactly a fairy tale was.

Harry explained while the previews were on. All through the movie, Ginny made sure to touch Harry in some way. At first, she started by holding his hand that he had thrown over her shoulder. With her thumb, she rubbed little circles on the back of his hand. Apparently, Harry felt that distracted him too much as he slowly pulled his hand away from hers and placed his on the back of the couch.

She watched him adjust his trousers and placed her hand on the knee of his khakis, smirking. Watching Danielle argue with the prince, Ginny traced figure eights on Harry's knee with her forefinger slowly inching her way up his thigh with every few passes her fingers made. When her fingers got about halfway up his thigh, he reached over and grabbed her hand to hold it steady in his.

Splitting her attention between the movie and teasing Harry, she moved her head into the hollow of his neck. Ginny rubbed her hair against his cheek before turning to feather kisses along his jaw. He turned his head to look down at her, trying to look harsh. Ginny knew, however, that he wasn't upset. On the contrary, he was quite happy with her attentions.

Realizing that he had let go of her hand, she turned her head back toward the screen before sliding her hand across his belly to slip it under his shirt. She began to toy with his belt buckle, moving it back and forth. Then, as she felt braver, she started to unbuckle it. Harry shot up off the couch.

"Gin," he said, struggling to catch his breath. "Is today's word naughty or something?"

"No," she replied with a smirk. "That's tomorrow." Harry blanched. "Today's word is affectionate."


	5. Naughty and Cherish

A/N: Here's the next chapter a little early as I doubt I'll have time to post tomorrow morning. :) Thanks to all who have read and reviewed. Major thanks to Jonelle and my friends at LJ who helped make this better. Enjoy!

Chapter Four—Naughty and Cherish

December 28, 1999-- Naughty

When Ginny opened her door to see her absolutely hot boyfriend tugging on the back of his jacket, her smile was so bright that she could have lit the City of London. Her eyes started at the top and made their way down over the outfit that she had chosen for him to wear that day. The black dragon hide jacket stopped at his waist and covered most of the green shirt she had chosen to match his eyes. Ginny had never been happier to have older brothers than she was when she took a long look at the sight of Harry in the dragon hide trousers. What would Ron and George think if she told them that she was able to guess Harry's size because of all the purchases she had made for them over the years? She bit her bottom lip to prevent her chuckle from escaping. Still, a slight giggle welled up in her throat.

"You think I look stupid, don't you?" Harry accused Ginny as he strode into her living room.

"Harry, you look many things, but stupid is NOT one of them. You know, I'm reconsidering my choice in clothes for you," Ginny said, scratching at her chin, watching Harry from behind.

"See, you do think I look ridiculous!" Harry exclaimed. He sat down on the couch and buried his face in his hands.

"No, I think you look hot. Those trousers look incredible on you. I can see two main problems," Ginny responded with a sigh. Harry blushed at first, but then looked up to turn his smouldering green eyes on her.

"And what, pray tell, would those be, Miss Weasley?"

"Well, first and foremost, I'm going to have to come up with a game plan for keeping other women's paws off my man. Second and not so important," Ginny said with a grin. "I have to figure out how to keep my hands off you."

"Gin, we've had this discussion before," Harry reminded her.

"I know, I know. But I'm just saying how I feel." She gave an evil grin before adding, "Besides, today is 'naughty' day."

"Speaking of, what's on the agenda for today?" Harry asked.

Ginny wasn't sure how to broach this topic, but then she thought about the fact that he had lost the bet, which said he would do whatever she said no question.

"Just remember that you promised to do whatever I say." She waited for his acknowledgment before continuing. He simply nodded. "We're going to go get tattoos," she said in a rush. She closed her eyes and waited for the explosion. When she heard nothing, she cracked one eye open and looked over at Harry, whose mouth was now dragging the floor. She watched as he slowly regained his faculties enough to protest.

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, looking more discombobulated than she had ever seen him.

"Tattoos. I'm finally going to get that Horntail on you," Ginny said a bit slower now that she felt reasonably certain that Harry wouldn't be too upset.

"Gin, I don't think so. Don't you think a tattoo is too much like the Dark Mark?" Harry queried. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Harry, please. It won't be like the Dark Mark because we're going to a Muggle shop. No spells around," Ginny responded. Deciding that he still looked rebellious, she added, "Remember today is all about being naughty. I thought we could go get tattoos together and make it an adventure. Something for just the two of us. No one has to know that we got them." Deciding that she needed to give him another reason for actually going through with this, she said, "What if I let you choose what tattoo I get?"

"Really? I get to choose?" Harry said with decided interest in his voice.

"Yes, I promise. Now can we go?" Ginny asked. While still reluctant, Harry finally agreed. After making their way to Oxford Street on Harry's motorbike, Harry found a car park fairly close. He secured their helmets and the bike with a few inconspicuous waves of his wand. Ginny grabbed his hand and tugged him out into the street. They strolled along hand-in-hand until Ginny pulled Harry to a stop in front of Selfridges.

"What? Are we going shopping?" Harry asked, puzzled when Ginny pushed him into the store.

"No, the studio is here. Let's go." Once they reached sight of the studio, Ginny noticed that Harry's feet slowed until they were stopped.

"Harry?" Ginny inquired, thinking of ways she could convince him to go through with this idea of hers.

"Are you sure that we can't do _anything_ else to represent naughty?" Harry asked, pleading.

"Harry, you promised," Ginny said, disappointed that Harry was that reluctant to share this with her. "You lost the bet, remember?" Seeing the stubborn look in his eyes, she decided to go for broke and show him the design. If he still refused, well, she would come up with something else they could do. She pulled a thick, carefully folded piece of drawing paper out of her jeans' pocket. Wordlessly she handed it to Harry, who opened it to reveal a small intricate drawing of a Hungarian Horntail.

"Did you draw this, Gin?" Harry asked, tracing the outline with his fingers.

"No, I'm not that artistic, you know that. I asked Dean to draw it for me. His artwork has always been remarkable and I knew that he could make it look fantastical enough for Muggles to accept," Ginny answered. "I think this design would look great right here." Ginny tapped the area over Harry's heart. "Because you have the heart of a dragon and you defeated this one by purely using your heart."

Harry closed his eyes for a minute before opening them to look down at her. "Let's do this."

The two of them perused the wall of designs so Harry could choose hers. However, Harry still hadn't decided what she should get when he was taken back to where he would get the tattoo. Ginny had planned on waiting for him out front, but Harry dragged her with him. Of course, Ginny didn't complain when Harry had to take off his shirt. She spent most of the time Harry was getting his tattoo lost in fantasies about running her hands up and down that chest. In her mind, she was kissing her way across the new tattoo when Harry snapped his fingers at her.

"Ginny?"

"Oh, sorry." Her face heated in the traditional Weasley blush. She noticed that his shirt was now firmly back in place. "Are you done already?"

"I wouldn't say already, but I'm done. So it's your turn," Harry responded.

"So what am I getting?" Ginny asked.

"Well, after quite a bit of thinking, I've decided on a butterfly."

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! A butterfly? I give you the sexy manly dragon and I get a butterfly! What's wrong with this picture?" Ginny trailed off. _Was that all she was to him? Pretty decoration? _She started to storm off so he wouldn't be able to see her cry, but her hands were caught in two large, familiar ones. Harry turned her toward him after much effort since she fought facing him with every bit of her. She still refused to look him in the eye.

"Will you let me explain?" Harry said, totally exasperated with her. She gave a small nod, continuing to refuse to look at him.

"I chose a butterfly because well… What do you know about butterflies, Gin?" he asked.

"I know they are pretty and flutter about," she said quietly.

"Did you know they start off as caterpillars? Something that quite a few people consider a bug, something to be squashed. But then it forms a chrysalis, a cocoon, as a safe place to start its change. It's still fragile at that stage though. Then it emerges from the dark, transformed into a beautiful, graceful butterfly. I see you like that butterfly, Gin. Riddle thought he could squash you your first year, but you cocooned yourself and refused to let him completely take you over. When you emerged from that horrible first year, you started transforming yourself into the fantastic, graceful woman you are now.

"Plus, there's something mentioned a lot in Muggle literature. It's called the butterfly effect. It talks about how one flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a tornado." Harry shook his head. "Or something like that. Anyway, you're like that butterfly. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here right now. Anyway, that's why I want a butterfly for you on your shoulder."

Listening to Harry explain his thought process, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed at how much he had thought about what to choose for her. She felt a little guilty that she hadn't taken as much time as he had apparently. Ginny wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes before throwing her arms around Harry. Pulling away slightly, she said, "Okay, let's go get me a butterfly."

December 29, 1999-- Cherish

The next morning Harry finally put his foot down about the plans for the day. Ginny really couldn't blame him as she had forgotten about his godfather duties.

"I need to go visit Teddy today or at least this morning. I'm sure that Andromeda needs a break. A twenty-month old wears on you after a bit," Harry explained. "You can come with me, though." Ginny hadn't planned on letting him go without her. She gathered her things and followed Harry through the Floo.

The sight of little Teddy toddling his way toward Harry with his hair cycling through the colour spectrum made her heart skip a beat. Harry laughed as he swung Teddy up into his arms.

"So how are you, my little godson? Have you been good to your grandmum?" Harry asked, burying his nose in Teddy's belly as Harry held him high above his head.

"Oh, Harry, you're here," Andromeda said, wiping her hands on a towel. She pushed the strands of her hair that were falling around her face back towards the bun the rest of her hair was in. "You just missed breakfast. You could have had the pleasure of feeding him."

"Ah, so that's what I'm seeing around your mouth. Let's see… It looks like you had oatmeal for breakfast this morning, Teddy. Did Grandmum remember to add your cinnamon?" Harry asked, cuddling Teddy in his arm. Ginny hadn't had the opportunity to see Harry interact with Teddy very often and she had no idea that he was this comfortable with a toddler.

Teddy allowed the cuddle for a moment before starting to struggle to get down. Harry set him on his feet, making sure to watch him closely. Harry crossed to Andromeda for a quick hug, all the while keeping one eye on Teddy.

"We're here to watch Teddy for you. You need to go do something for yourself," Harry said sternly as if they had had arguments about this very thing before. "There's to be no arguing from you. I know you love him, but you need a break every so often. So go!"

Andromeda patted Harry on his cheek before saying, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Harry Potter. I know you're trying to convince Teddy that he would rather live with you." She gave Harry a devilish grin with a sparkle in her eye. "Oh all right, I'll go wash up and take myself off somewhere." Andromeda gave an exaggerated sigh as if she was very put out, but Ginny could tell that Andromeda really wasn't upset. Ginny sensed this was a common occurrence with the two of them.

"Oh, of course I'm trying to get my godson to live with me," Harry called out in response. "Didn't you know that toddlers are the way to a woman's heart? How else am I to convince Ginny to marry me?" Ginny stopped breathing for a second at this. _Was Harry planning on asking her to marry him?_

Ginny was so flabbergasted that she fell onto the couch, staring at his back. She couldn't get that thought out of her head and missed the rest of the banter between Harry and Andromeda. When he swung around to look for Teddy, who had just toddled his way over to Ginny, his eyes went wide at the sight of her on the couch. His hand crept up to cover his open mouth. Ginny could tell that Harry had forgotten that she was there. _But did that mean that he was serious or was he just joking around?_

Teddy patted her leg with both of his small hands to get her attention. Ginny grinned down at the boy whose hair now looked just like Harry's down to the rumpled look. She wasn't quite sure of what it was that Teddy wanted other than to maybe say hello.

"He wants you to pick him up," Harry explained, leaning against the wall, watching them.

Ginny slid her hands under Teddy's arms and placed him carefully in her lap, facing her. Bouncing him on her knee, she made faces at him, getting smiles and laughs as a reward for her efforts. She wasn't even conscious of Teddy putting his hand in her hair until he gave a vicious tug.

"Ow!" she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. She extricated Teddy's hands from her hair gently.

"Teddy! That's no way to treat a lady! Here, Ginny, give him to me," Harry admonished Teddy. Grabbing him when Ginny handed him over, he took him over to the chair next to fireplace. Sitting Teddy on his lap, he proceeded to talk to the child. "Now Teddy, we don't pull hair on anybody, but most especially not beautiful ladies like Ginny." At this, Teddy's hair became a vivid Weasley red. "Yes, I know she has beautiful hair, but that doesn't mean you can pull it." He lowered his voice, but Ginny could still hear him… barely. "I can see the allure of running your fingers through her hair. It's something I like to do myself. But still, don't hurt her too much before I get the chance…" Harry looked over at Ginny then and stopped.

Ginny spent the rest of the morning with her mind split between trying to decipher what Harry had been talking about with Teddy and watching Harry take care of Teddy. He was quite proficient at changing nappies, she was glad to see. In fact, she thought he was much better at taking care of a child than she was. She even mentioned that to Harry while he was feeding Teddy in the kitchen.

"Well, Gin, of course I'm going to be fairly good at it now. I wasn't when I started, but I've been helping Andromeda with Teddy for over a year. I spend at least one morning a week with him, if not more."

"Why didn't I know how much time you spend with him?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged at her before turning back to Teddy, who had demanded more by slamming his fists on the table of his high chair. "I try to schedule my time with Teddy while you're at practice, so I don't lose any time with either of you." Harry expertly scooped a small amount of carrots onto the spoon before inserting it into Teddy's mouth.

"It never occurred to you that I might like to spend time with the both of you?" she inquired.

Harry thought about this for a minute. "I guess I was trying to be both the best godfather I can be while being the best boyfriend. I didn't think I could be both at the same time, especially when I considered the example that Ron set with Lavender. He wasn't a very good friend at the time while he was trying to be a good boyfriend."

"Well, you can be. You can be more than one thing at a time and still be the best at all of them. Ron was a very bad example," she said with a smile. She watched Harry dip the spoon into the jar to dig out the last of the carrots.

"I'm trying to cherish the time I have with Teddy as much as I can, just like I try to cherish the time I spend with you. I don't want him to ever think that his parents chose badly for his godfather," said Harry, wiping Teddy's face and hands with a flannel to get the orange spots off.

"Do you realize that you just said the word for the day without me telling you what it is?" Ginny asked with a wry smile.

"No. What is the word?" Harry questioned, cleaning up the mess that Teddy had made of his food.

"Cherish." She thought about her plans for the day. "Harry, I'm going to let you decide about whether we do what I had planned or not because in my eyes, we've already accomplished what I wanted for the day."

The line appeared in his forehead that always showed up when he was puzzled. "So what did you have planned?" He pulled Teddy out of his high chair and placed him on his hip before following Ginny into the living room.

"We were going to go visit Fred, Remus and Tonks' graves. I was planning on sharing with you the memories of the times I had with them that I cherish," Ginny replied. Harry placed Teddy on the floor and watched him pull himself up on the coffee table.

"So it won't matter which one I pick?" Harry asked.

"No, it won't. I won't be upset either way."

"Good, because really what I could use right now, like I always do when I watch Teddy, is a nap," Harry responded.

"Make sure you rest up because tomorrow is all about engaging," Ginny said with a grin as Andromeda walked in the front door.


	6. Engaging

A/N: Last chapter before the epilogue! Hope you like it. Thanks to Jonelle for being an excellent beta. Thanks to all of those who have read and review.

Chapter Five--Engaging

December 30, 1999—Engaging

Early the next morning, Ginny scrambled around her flat, looking for anything that could give her any ideas about what to do for the day. Late last night she had decided to scrap her original plan for the day after thinking about the comment that Harry had made at Andromeda's yesterday. She figured it might not be the best idea for her to pop the question to Harry when he might be planning to propose to her. Now, however, that meant she needed a new plan.

Scanning the room, her eyes lit on a thick book that Hermione had left a few weeks ago when she and a few others had stayed over at Ginny's for a girls' night. Only Hermione would think to bring a dictionary to a girls' night.

Picking the book up, she turned to the section with words starting with E, glancing through the various entries for engaging. When she found it, she noticed the phrase used to illustrate the word was 'engaging smile'. With a wry grin, she wondered if Harry would like it if she changed smile to massage. Maybe she would finally get him to loosen up some.

But what else could she do for today? A massage would not last the whole day, especially not if Harry had anything to say about it. She just couldn't convince him to let down all of his barriers. She shrugged. Still, she needed something else to help fill the day.

Looking back at the dictionary, she ran her finger up from engaging to engage. She perused her way through the different definitions. "I love dictionaries. Everyone should own one," Ginny said aloud to herself. Ideas began to spring up in her mind, implanting different images. Before long, she had the entire day planned out with all the necessary arrangements made.

Deciding to employ one of the definitions in her appearance, Ginny made sure to dress in Harry's favourite outfit of hers--a deep green jumper with a pair of tight jeans. She sat on the stool in front of her vanity and brushed out her hair. Tugging on strands of her hair, she toyed with the idea of leaving her hair down. Yet knowing that if there was a chance that they would be flying together like she hoped, she decided that it would be best if she pulled it back. When a knock came at her front door, she quickly scooped her hair into a ponytail and wound her band around it to hold it in place.

"Coming!" she yelled down the hallway when another knock resounded through the flat. Hurrying, she raced down the hallway and ended up sliding into the door when her socks caused her feet to slip out from under her. She was thankful that the door kept her upright, instead of falling on her arse. "Ow!"

"Gin? Are you okay?" Harry's voice was muffled through the door, but Ginny couldn't mistake the concern in it.

Throwing the door open, she answered, "Just being slightly clumsy. Hopefully, it's a stage and will pass." She waved her hand in the air to show that it was really nothing before feasting her eyes on Harry in jeans and a Holyhead Harpies' sweatshirt. Now that outfit was truly 'engaging,' especially the view she got when he walked past her into her living area.

"What's on the agenda for today? This is the last day, right?" Harry asked, settling himself on the sofa.

"It is the last day for my plans. I told you yesterday what the word was. So, to start the day off, we're starting off by 'engaging' our minds by 'engaging' the enemy. We're going to play Wizard's Chess." Ginny pointed to the chessboard already set up for the game.

"Okay, so what do I get when I win?" Harry said cheekily.

"Are you seriously challenging me, the sister of Ron Weasley, reputed chess master of Gryffindor? You know he taught me to play," Ginny said smiling the whole time.

"Of course. I'll still win and when I do, I expect you to cook breakfast for me tomorrow… without magic."

"Sure, Harry. I'm the one who will win. For my reward, I expect you to stay here in my flat tonight," Ginny responded, cocking one brow up at him in triumph. Harry's face dimmed for a second before becoming very determined.

"You're on."

The next two hours were full of concentrated thinking and strategizing. They were pretty evenly matched when it came right down to it. Harry was extremely determined to win. He didn't even respond when she ran her fingers up his arm.

By the time Harry called out "Checkmate," Ginny's level of frustration had hit an all-time high. While she wanted to growl out, all that came out was a strangled squeak. She knew that what was coming next would help soothe her ruffled feathers. With little fanfare, she grabbed her broom and Harry's arm before giving her wand a little twist.

Within seconds, they appeared on the field at the stadium where Ginny's team practiced. Looking at Harry, she mounted her broom, slid forward just a bit and gestured to the place behind her. Harry slipped his leg over and pulled her body flush against him, wrapping his arms around her to place his hands on the handle in front of her. Steering the broom up, they soared over and around the rings that stood at either end of the pitch.

"How does this fit engaging, Miss Weasley?" Harry whispered in her ear.

"This is engaging our souls using the definition "to please." Flying always pleases my soul." Ginny tilted her head back so that she could speak in his ear, allowing him to steer.

"Are you sure that's the meaning of engaging?" Harry asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice.

"It has to be true. I read it in the dictionary that Hermione left at my flat," Ginny said sharply.

"Well, who am I to argue with one of Hermione's books?"

They spent the next few hours, alternating between flying solo and together. Ginny loved watching Harry fly and dive. It always made him look so very carefree and happy. This was her favourite way to spend time with Harry since they both enjoyed this so much.

The sun was slipping below the horizon when they drifted back down to earth. Ginny didn't want to take her arms from their location around Harry's waist. She revelled in the feel of her body pressed against Harry's back. Harry gently landed and pulled her broom from under them to the side. She continued to stand there with her arms wrapped around Harry for a minute or two.

"Gin, do you have anything else planned for today?" Harry asked.

"Actually, I do since it's the last day of this. Hold on," she answered before Apparating the two of them back to her flat.

"You've gotten really good at Side-Along, Gin," Harry complimented her.

"Thanks. Now sit here by the table while I check on dinner."

"Check on dinner?" he asked warily.

"I told you I've planned this week as a way of showing you how much I love you. This is 'engaging' in the sense of pleasing. I've ordered your favourite meal with treacle tart for dessert." Ginny smiled at the excitement on his face. "Now let me go check on it."

She crossed to her living area and found that her mother had done exactly as she asked. A small table was set up in the middle of the floor with a fire roaring in the hearth. Candles set around the room were lit, causing the room to glow with a yellow haze. The smell of flowers wafted through the air. It was perfect.

Turning back towards the kitchen, she saw Harry slip something in his pocket when he saw her coming. While she was puzzled at what he was keeping from her, she continued with her plan. Pulling the black strip of cloth from her pocket, she slipped it over Harry's eyes before tying the ends together behind his head.

"Ginny, is this really necessary?" he asked with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"You're fine, Harry. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." Subconsciously she answered him with the same words he had used on her in her dream. Grabbing his arm, she led him to his chair before pulling the blindfold off. Harry blinked a few times before taking stock of his surrounding area.

"Gin, aren't I the one who is supposed to do this sort of thing for you? I mean, I know that I haven't done a lot of it but—" Harry said before Ginny put her fingers over his mouth. She spread his cloth in his lap, like some waiters in the more fancier restaurants do.

"Remember this week is supposed to be about me showing you how much I love you. This is just an expression of that. I love you, Harry." She uncovered the plates in front of them.

"I love you, too, Gin."

"Besides, Harry, this is step one in the plan for engaging the body," Ginny teased him. Harry's face paled at the comment. They shared the meal in relative silence, only conversing about light things. Harry seemed extremely uptight about something and Ginny refused to call him on it, hoping that he would be willing to open up to her without a fight.

Standing up and deciding to leave the dishes for later, Ginny seized Harry's hand and dragged him to the couch. Forcing him to lie down on his stomach, she allowed most of her weight to rest on her legs as she straddled the back of his thighs. Slowly, moving her hands up his back, she rubbed and kneaded her way to his neck. Harry moaned when she worked on places on his back, which were knotted up. She started making her way back down when she thought that it would probably be best for the massage if his sweatshirt was off. Ginny reached for the hem and started to tug it up when Harry shot up off the couch.

"Ginny, thanks for a great day, but I really think I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Harry said rather stiffly. Ginny had no idea why Harry was acting so strange. Admittedly they hadn't taken their physical relationship all that far, but she had seen him without a shirt on. Totally confused by her boyfriend, she followed him to the door.

"Harry? Is everything okay?" Ginny inquired.

Harry took a deep breath before answering, "It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't forget breakfast here. Love you." He framed her face with his hands and drew her to him for a kiss. He released her and turned to leave.

"Harry?" Ginny started in a very small voice. "Don't you want me?"

"Oh, love, more than you can possibly imagine, but it's just not time yet. Soon, my love, soon. Good night." With that, he walked out the door.

Ginny reflected on the past week while straightening up her living room. Did she accomplish what she set out to do- to show Harry that he could be more romantic? She wasn't sure as he had been romantic on his own, but one thing was certain, she knew a lot more about Harry Potter now than she did a week ago.


	7. Epilogue

A/N: Thanks to all who have read and especially those who reviewed. Since I have to work late tonight, I'm posting this early. Thanks, as always, to my beta, Jonelle and my friends at LJ who helped make this better.

Epilogue

December 31, 1999

As the sun's rays turned the sky outside from the dark blackest ink to radiant pinks and oranges, Harry sat at his desk in his home office looking through his journal entries for the past few days. After the Final Battle, he had started recording his thoughts for each day before he went to bed. It had seemed necessary that the thoughts get out of his head in order to allow him to start healing after everything was finally over.

He scoffed, looking at his entry for Christmas Eve. Going in, he had had no idea what Ginny had planned for him that day. The riding lesson came as a complete surprise and something he had never even considered doing. Yet, watching Ginny come alive so completely was a joy to see. The simple walk through the park reminded him of the simple pleasure of her company and why he wanted to spend every moment he could with her. Then the Patronus came and he knew he had to leave. Harry hated leaving Ginny when she was upset, but a lead had come in on a case that he was working. He was the only one who knew how to proceed since this case was slightly more volatile than most. It was at those moments that he hated his chosen career.

Christmas day itself had been an interesting adventure since Arthur and Molly both peered at Ginny's ring finger several times, no doubt wondering when he was planning on proposing. He should have expected that. After all, he had gone to them several months ago before Ginny graduated from Hogwarts and asked them for permission. Of course, that was also when Arthur had wrung the promise from him that he and Ginny would keep things mainly platonic until they were officially engaged.

That promise came back to bite him several times during the week. First, watching that movie with Ginny running her hands all over him was almost more than he could bear. Honestly, he thought he would die from frustration. Then, to further his frustration, seeing her get the butterfly tattoo that he had chosen had to be one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. The day they spent with Teddy, Harry had wished for a minute that it was their child they were playing with, but then Harry had visions of how they would create that child, bringing his frustration back full force.

Yesterday had created a whole new level of tension for him. He had almost proposed to her several times during the course of the day. He had even had the ring with him last night, which turned out to be a good thing since its digging into his thigh was the only thing that stopped him from allowing Ginny to take things further. But he had wanted to wait until today to propose, especially when he had figured out that Ginny's words were spelling out romance. He figured it was her way of telling him that she wanted a little more romance in their relationship. Today he would give her that romance.

On the piece of parchment in front of Harry, he had written out a poem for his lovely Ginny. He knew that he was no poet, but he hoped that she would look upon it kindly as it was his way of proposing. Rolling the parchment up, he placed a green ribbon around it before storing it in his pocket with the ring.

Green flames shot up in his fireplace suddenly. He had forgotten that he had routed his Floo calls to this fireplace. "Harry James Potter! If I'm cooking breakfast for you, then you better not let it get cold! In other words, get your arse over here. I know you're not asleep. Breakfast is on the table," Ginny's voice shouted grumpily from the flames.

He knew just how to soothe his girlfriend's grumpiness. Smiling, he headed over to the fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder. When he arrived, Ginny was still in the kitchen with her back to him, although the food was on the table that was set for two. He slipped over to her plate and slid the roll of parchment under the left edge. Next he planted himself in the chair before clearing his throat.

Ginny startled and clutched her chest. "Harry! You scared me." She narrowed her eyes. "How did you sneak in here so quietly? Oh, never mind. Just eat."

She finished serving up the rest of the breakfast and brought it to the table. Slipping into her own seat, she filled her plate without saying anything. Harry waited to see if she would notice the scroll, but as her fork was on the right side of the plate, she didn't see it.

They chatted amiably through breakfast. Several times her hand brushed the edge of the parchment, but she never picked it up. Harry wanted to yank it from its hiding place and just hand it to her, but he had determined that this was more romantic.

It wasn't until she started clearing the table that Ginny found the scroll. Harry watched her face very intently as she was clearly puzzled by its appearance. She put down the plate, picked up the parchment and unfurled it. He watched her eyes as they scanned back and forth over each word. When he knew she was nearing the end, he knelt on the floor beside her, holding the box open.

She looked over at him, her eyes welling with tears and whispered, "Yes!" Throwing the parchment in the air, she embraced Harry and he kissed her, much like that first kiss in the common room. He pulled her over to the couch and whispered over and over to her how very much he loved her. The evidence was apparent in that parchment. Harry had learned exactly what Ginny wanted and provided it. The parchment read:

_Redhead that I love and adore_

_Occupant of my heart forevermore_

_Magical every moment we've spent_

_Always together is how we're meant_

_Now and for always I want you to be _

_Close by my side for all eternity_

_Every day, I long to say, Ginny, my love, _

_Will you marry me?_


End file.
